[ad_1]
89th within the FIFA Rankings, Bahrain are Group E favourites. They’re 99 locations forward of 188th-ranked Bangladesh, who suffered a 0-2 defeat to Bahrain in the one match between two sides, in the course of the President’s Cup in Seoul in 1979. Bahrain look like in peak type, registering six wins in seven matches this 12 months in opposition to Uganda, Congo, India, Burundi, Myanmar and Thailand. Their lone defeat got here in opposition to Belarus. Bangladesh have performed solely three matches this 12 months, dropping to Maldives earlier than drawing in opposition to Mongolia and Indonesia.
For all newest information, comply with The Every day Star’s Google Information channel. Bangladesh are set to return to the qualification spherical of the Asian Cup after a prolonged 16-year hole after they tackle mighty Bahrain in one of many Group E openers on the Bukit Jalil Nationwide Stadium in Kuala Lumpur at present.
The match will kick off at 3:15pm (Bangladesh Normal Time).
Bangladesh had a dream marketing campaign of their first-ever Asian Cup qualifiers, wherein they secured a spot within the 10-team last spherical after ending as one in every of 4 group runners up in 1979. However they’d a tougher time within the last spherical regardless of exhibiting potential in two of their 4 matches in Qatar in 1980.
Since then, Bangladesh have been a part of the Asian Cup qualifying spherical till 2006, barring 1996 when Bangladesh withdrew from the competitors. Bangladesh wouldn’t make it to the ultimate spherical of their subsequent six makes an attempt.
As an alternative, Bangladesh have been demoted to compete within the newly-introduced AFC Problem Cup, a match that rewarded the winners with tickets to the Asian Cup Qualifiers till it was suspended in 2015.
The AFC then made huge modifications to the Asian Cup and World Cup Qualifiers however Bangladesh didn’t make it to the qualifiers, dropping 3-1 on mixture to Bhutan within the 2016 playoffs.
This time round, they beat Laos 1-0 on mixture to enter the Asian Cup Qualifiers and finish their 16-year exile however have been derailed by accidents.
However forward of their robust group encounters, Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuiyan was upbeat of springing a shock on Bahrain, who’re 99 locations forward of Bangladesh within the FIFA Rankings.
“I believe the opposite staff might imagine Bangladesh shall be a simple goal however I believe the gamers produce other issues on their thoughts and we are able to spring some surprises,” Jamal mentioned on the pre-match convention yesterday.
“Tomorrow is an enormous match. We all know that we’ve executed every part to organize properly,” Jamal mentioned. “After all, we lack in some areas however we’ve mentioned that with the coach. General, if the sport plan goes properly, we are able to get one thing from this match.”
Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera is aware of his staff face an uphill activity in opposition to Bahrain and is predicted to undertake a counter-attacking technique.
“It’ll be an analogous strategy [as it was in a recently friendly against Indonesia] tomorrow [Wednesday],” mentioned Cabrera, who performed a four-man defence and two defensive midfielders in a five-man midfield in that goalless draw.
[ad_2]
Source link
